Metro East Pride Fest Officially Cancelled For 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

#metroeastpridefest

Belleville, Illinois

In these trying times, many companies and organizations are faced with difficult decisions on how to handle their normal operations and Metro East Pride of Southwestern Illinois, Inc. is no exception. Metro East Pride Fest has grown exponentially over the last few years, and even though we're incredibly proud of that fact and proud of the support our community has given us, the size of our event poses numerous complications when dealing with CDC Social Distancing Recommendations and State of Illinois  requirements.

Our original hope was that given enough time, we would be able to have a large gathering like Metro East Pride Fest, and with that hope we postponed Pride Fest until August 1.  As we've gotten closer to our postponed date, we have worked closely with the City of Belleville and the St. Clair County Health Department. We survive on volunteers and donations and the love and support of our community, and we would be remiss if we did not consider the safety of our volunteers, vendors and sponsors as well as those in attendance. Unfortunately, at this time we feel it will be neither safe nor prudent for us to hold a gathering as large as Metro East Pride Fest. It is with great sadness that we announce the cancellation of 2020 Metro East Pride Fest, presented by Beth Ortega Group RE/MAX Preferred and Motto Mortgage.

We are heartbroken to say we won't be able to come together as what has grown to be one of the Metro East's largest festivals known as Metro East Pride Fest. So while our festival will remain quiet for 2020, we're still going to be here helping the community in whatever ways we can.